THE Vodafone Fiji Secondary School Rugby League Under-15 title headed to Nasinu Secondary School after the Panthers defeated first-time finalists Gospel Saints 12-8 in an exciting final at 4R Stadium at Govind Park on Saturday.
Both teams started strongly and entertained the crowd with tough defence and attacking rugby.
Nasinu struck first after breaking through the Gospel defence line, with Matthew Stone scoring the opening try. Ratu Isoa Dakuitoga successfully added the conversion for an early 6-0 lead.
Gospel Saints fought back with determination and regrouped late in the first half. Basilio Mata crossed over for their lone try while Marika Kilibau converted to level the scores at 6-6 heading into halftime.
Gospel continued their momentum early in the second spell when Kilibau slotted a penalty kick to give his side an 8-6 advantage.
However, Nasinu lifted their intensity and made use of their strong backline attack to pile pressure on Gospel. Their efforts paid off when Timoci Masiwawa scored the match-winning try. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful, but Nasinu regained the lead at 10-8.
Dakuitoga later added a penalty kick to seal the victory as Nasinu held on for a memorable 12-8 win at fulltime.
Nasinu team manager Asinate Qaranivalu said the message to the players before the match was to remain humble and trust what they had learned throughout the season.
Qaranivalu said the side was motivated after losing to Gospel during the Southern Zone competition and reminded the boys to prove they were capable of becoming national champions.
